Be More Pollyanna

Essays & Ideas to Inspire Intentional Gladness

Written by Holly Terrill

If actor Ryan Hansen knew me, I bet he’d totally endorse my book: Be More Pollyanna!

*If you know Ryan Hansen, contact me! I’d love to visit with him about endorsing my work of creative nonfiction.

Be More Pollyanna; Essays & Ideas to Inspire Intentional Gladness is a work of creative nonfiction that Holly began writing in the spring of 2023. Holly has authored more than twenty contact center leadership articles since the summer of 2020 and was ready to take the next step: to write a book that had the ability to positively impact others. Be More Pollyanna is that book.

Keep coming back; updates on the book will be posted to this page.

Books I’ve Read

If you are in need of ideas, here are lists of the books I’ve read for inspiration and leisure.

  • Start with Why by Simon Sinek

    Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice

    A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

  • A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

    Heat Wave by Richard Castle

    The Forest Ranger by Herbert Kaufman

    Doctor Who: The Five Doctors by Terrance Dicks

    Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time by Paul Cornell

    Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz

    A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

    Loki by Katherine Locke

    Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas

    Shada by Douglas Adams

    Doctor Who: Scratchman by Tom Baker

    Constituent Service by John Scalzi

    The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop

    Good to Great and the Social Sector by Jim Collins

    Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen by James Goss

    Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion by Jenny T. Colgan

    Doctor Who: The Angel’s Kiss by Justin Richards

    Doctor Who: The Pirate Planet by James Goss

    Doctor Who: The Roby’s Curse by Alex Kingston

    Doctor Who: Rose by Russell T. Davies

    Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat

    Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

    Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

    Save The Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

    Once More With Feeling by Elissa Sussman

    Still Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton

    Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

    Unstuck: A Tool for Yourself, Your Team, and Your World by Keith Yamashita & Sandra Spatano

    The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks

    Rebel Rising by Rebel Wilson

    The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

    A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

    Black Women of the Civil Rights Movement by Dr. Wendi Manuel-Scott

    Bone Handbook by Jeff Smith

    The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities by Patrick Lencioni

    The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon

    Fox 8 by George Saunders

    His Dark Materials: Serpentine by Phillip Pullman

    The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey

    Legal Immigrant by Alan Cumming

    Approval Junkie by Faith Sallie

    The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Spy Island by Chelsea Cain

    The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    A Study in Scalett by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    The Bird King, an artist’s notebook by Shaun Tan

    I Can’t Make This Up by Kevin Hart

    American Like Me by America Ferrera

    If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? by Alan Alda

    The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi

    The Path Made Clear by Oprah Winfrey

    Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

    Bill & Ted Are Doomed by Ed Solomon and Evan Dorkin

    The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

    If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos

    Read Something Else: Collected & Dubious Wit by Lemony Snicket

    Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

    Beastie Boys Book by Ad-Rock, Adam Horovitz, and Mike D

    Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

  • Zombiefied: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses by Athena Aktipis

    Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

    Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond by Henry Winkler

    Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You by Sam Gosling

    Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

    Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

    JumpStart Your Priorities: A 90-Day Improvement Plan by John C. Maxwell

    Atomic Habits by James Clear

    Unf*ck Your Brain: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-Outs, and Triggers by Faith G. Harper

    It’s Not What It Looks Like by Molly Burke

    Alanis Morisette by Alanis Morisette

    Dear Life by Beck

    Size Matters Not by Warwick Davis

    Third Eye by Felicia Day

    Slayers, A Buffyverse Story by Christopher Golden and Amber Benson

    Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

    Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger

    Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

    Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

    Travel by Bullet by John Scalzi

    Murder By Other Means by John Scalzi

    The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

    Starter Villain by John Scalzi

    The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time by Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bark

    The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

    The Big Lebowski and Philosophy edited by Peter S. Fosl

    The Incomplete Dudeist Priest’s Handbook by Gary M. Silvia

    The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

    Show Your Work! 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon

    The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics by Norton Juster

    Keep Curious and Carry a Banana: Words of Wisdom from the World of Curious George by H.A. Rey

    Little Book Of Wombat Wisdom by Harper Collins Publishers Australia

    Be Angry by His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama

    Big Damn Hero by James Lovegrove and Nancy Holder

    A Pocket Guide to Sustainable Food Shopping: How to Navigate the Grocery Store, Read Labels, and Help Save the Planet by Kate Bratskeir

    The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

    Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, Translated by Lowell Bair

    Spy of the First Person by Sam Shepard

    Hello, Fears: Crush your Comfort Zone and Become Who You’re Meant to Be by Michelle Poler

    Where to Begin: A Small Book About Your Power to Create Big Change in Our Crazy World by Cleo Wade

    Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices by Thich Nhat Hanh

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

    Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

    Pageboy by Elliot Page

    This is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew

    Did I Ever Tell You This? by Sam Neill

    Dracula by Bram Stoker

    The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

    Principles for Success by Ray Dalio

    Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward

    All I Know About Management I Learned from My Dog: The Real Story of Angel, a Rescued Golden Retriever, Who Inspired the New Four Golden Rules of Management by Martin P. Levin

    The Theatre of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today by Bryan Doerries

    Read This if You Want to Be a Great Writer by Ross Raisin

    Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

    The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown

    On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

    The New Queer Conscience by Adam Eli

    Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo by Grant Faulkner

    Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

    The Salvage Crew by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne

    Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

    This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Phillips

    Spare by Prince Harry

    Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville

    How to American: An Immigrant’s Guide to Disappointing Your Parents by Jimmy O. Yang

    We Are Called to Be a Movement by William J. Barber II

    Anti-Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World by James D. White